Blood is Thicker Than Water
by KirstySEmanuel
Summary: A short story on the division between pure-blood and muggle-born wizards, and the choice between life, or love.


Hermione heard a loud, startling knock at the door. The house were she had taken refuge was so secluded she was anxious how anyone was able to to find her.  
She had been hiding out for quite some time away from any form of wizarding contact while the Great War was commencing.  
However, there was nothing _great _about this battle. It was long, it was brutal and it was the battle to end all battles. To end the division between half-borns (or "mudbloods", as they were unfortunately and commonly known) and wizards and witches that were pure-bloods. Hermione was born into a muggle family which meant only one thing: in order to stay alive and away from the enivatable danger the Death Eaters would bring upon her, she had to disappear. Almost, as if she never existed - her life depended on it.

She slowly rose up from her chair and gripped her wand tight, she was frightened at what could be behind that door, and she certainly wasn't taking any chances.  
She took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob to open the door. Nothing would've prepared her, mentally nor physically, for who was standing there right infront of her - it was the one and only, Dracoo Malfoy.  
She felt sick to her stomach and was starting to slowly panic. She had frozen still like a statue and couldn't bring herself to speak. Draco held his hands up in surrender "I come alone, I promise.." Hermione started backing away slowly raising her wand the closer Draco edged towards her "Hermi.. Look, I swear. It is just myself. No army, no Death Eaters. _Just_ me."

Hermione cleared her throat and finally found the courage to mutter "..You better come in then" she held the door ajar so Draco could walk in, he had headed straight towards the staircase "And, where do you think you're going?!" Hermione snapped, thinking "Better still, why the hell are you even here?!"  
"Look.." He paused staring at his shoes, "We.. I neeed you. We're hopeless withou-.."  
"Who's _we_?" "Hogwarts. The war is far worse than I feared Hermione. They're killed mud.. muggle borns quicker than you can say Quidditch. Voldemort won't stop, until they're all dead.."  
"And, why does this exactly have to involve me?" She asked bluntly "Incase you failed to observe Draco, _I'm_ muggle born. A Death Eater will swoop in and murder me before I get a chance to step out that door!"  
Draco was starting to lose his paitence with Hermione. It shouldn't be _this _hard, _why _did it have to be so hard for Hermione to see it was the right thing to do? Not just for herself, but wizards and witches across the world? Not just muggle borns, but wizards and witches from _every _magical background. People she had grown up with at Hogwarts for nearly a _decade_.  
"It involves you because quite frankly, you're one of the best witches that ever walked through that damn place." Hermione just stared at him blankly and Draco sighed, exhasperated "I know it's hard to believe considering I'm a.. one of them. But I can assure you, I wouldn't be here if" I was still fighting their corner. Please Hermione.." he then knelt down in a rather embarrassing fashion, ready to _beg _her "..We need you. _I _need you." She sighed and with slight hesitation replied with "Right.. when do we leave?"

"And how do you suppose we actually get there Draco, without having my head blown up within five minutes?"  
"Portkey." he mumbled, pulling a familiar, ghastly looking boot out of his bag. It was the portkey she has used four years previously to get to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasley's and Harry Potter. She had long forgotten the last time she had any contact with them, never mind actually seen them - she was isolated.  
Draco could tell what she was thinking and she needed a distraction "Grab on quick!" he shouted lunging for the portkey and grabbed her.

They came to their destination with a sudden drop and little did Hermione know, the "chosen" destination would be the Forbidden Forest.  
Hermione pulled herself to her feet, and started to look anxiously around her surroundings stuttering "D-Draco.. Why are we here?"  
"HERMIONE, GET BEHIND ME!" "D-Draco.. Why did you bring me here? WHY?"  
"NOW HERMIONE, GET BEHIND ME. NOW." Draco roared, grabbing her by the arm so that he was shielding her.  
Hermione felt her heart drop and started to panic. She couldn't breathe, and she couldn't carry the weight of her own body, coming through the forest was an throng of Death Eaters and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.  
"STAY BACK!" Draco yelled, raising his wand at them, "Don't make me..-"  
"Now, now Draco" said his father in a low, patronising tone he tend to use regularly with his son, as if he was a small child.  
"Sheisa _mudblood_. She isn't one of us Draco, you know all to well what needs to happen." Lucius was slowly coming towards them both his wand raised, ready.  
Hermione was shaking, holding onto Draco for dear life. The enivatable was about to happen, she knew it and she could tell Draco knew it. She could see the pain and terror in his eyes, they both knew there was nothing they could do or say to save her.  
"DRACO.." Lucius was getting closer, raising his voice "Get out of my way, or so help me Merlin, I will have to kill you too."  
Narcissa shrieked and ran to Lucius, falling to her knees beneath the mud and human skeletons that surrounded the Forbidden Forest.  
"No Lucius.. no" she sobbed "You can't, he's just a boy. HE'S OUR SON."  
"Narcissa, I will not warn you again. Get back. NOW." He snarled  
Narcissa backed away to where the other Death Eaters were standing. Standing, waiting for death and she was torn. She couldn't stop wailing.  
"Draco, I'm going to ask you one more time. Get away from the mudblood now."  
"NO!" He roared "You can't do this. You need to stop this. I'M NOT MOVING, I LOVE H-.."  
Lucius raised his wand, and yelled what was the most unforgivable curse known to magical kind, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" and with a burst of green light, Draco shot into the air and back down to the ground, without even a whimper.  
Hermione ran to his body, and collapsed to her knees holding him sobbing.  
"No.. NO. DRACO, WAKE UP. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" she screamed.  
She couldn't hear a sound, she couldn't hear him breathing - he was lifeless. She felt his bony, pale wrists for a pulse.. and nothing.  
She felt nothing. She didn't feel distraught, she didn't feel angry.. she didn't feel anything. She was numb, and there was only one thing left to do - while she held him in his arms, while his mother was sobbing to the extent she couldn't breathe - admit that indeed, Draco Malfoy was.. _murdered_.


End file.
